1 + 1 = 3: Conversation Guides for Spiritual Mentorship

By Alicia Marie Fay

Deep, authentic human connections don’t happen automatically. Effective mentorship requires a lot of intentionality, some patience, and a whole bucketload of courage. 1 + 1 = 3 is designed for mentors and mentees who want to experience real, life-changing growth but aren’t sure how to make it happen.

In this book, you will find fifty-two unique conversation prompts
on personal, spiritual, and relational topics. Each one includes thought-provoking discussion questions, related scripture references, and reminders to track prayer requests and responses. The journal-style format offers convenient space to record questions and insights, helping you trace your growth over time. All these elements are based on well-founded research on spiritual development, psychological needs, and social behavior patterns and are designed to help you grow faster and more authentically together.

With willing hearts and the right tools, authentic and life-changing relationships are possible. Take your mentorship to the next level and see how two people can become so much more together!

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 16, 2020
• ISBN: 9781973682943

Alicia Marie Fay

Alicia is a life-long student of human nature and multi-passionate author and entrepreneur. She holds a B.A. in Humanities, Literature, and Philosophy from Biola University and a M.A. in Christian Education and Leadership from Dallas Theological Seminary. After more than 15 years of teaching and serving in the evangelical church, she is deeply invested in helping believers develop their relationship with God and reach their fullest potential as human beings through establishing healthy relationships with oneself and others.

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Copyright © 2020 Alicia Marie Fay.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

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Bloomington, IN 47403

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-8293-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-8295-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-8294-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020900324

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/16/2020

Contents

Introduction

How 1 + 1 Can = 3

The Challenge of Authenticity

How to Use This Book

Before You Begin

Getting to Know You

Heritage

Favor ite Experience

Personal Heroes

Favorite Bible Passage

Needs of the World

Identity Roles

Hardships

Character of God

Religious Background

Mentorship Check-Up

Digging Deeper

Christian Testimony

Heroes and Idols

Accomplishments

Your Story—Person #1

Your Story—Person #2

Reflecting on Your Stories

Uniqueness

Decisions

Family Relationships

Mentorship Check-Up

Security

Personality and Self-Concept

Past Wounds

Sin

Spiritual Growth

Growing Together

Spiritual Gifts

Faith and Doubt

Prayer

The Triune God

Mentorship Check-Up

Seven Deadly Sins

Relationships

The Holy Spirit

Fruit of the Spirit

Voice of God

Exercise: Spiritual Disciplines

Relationship with God

Conflict

Calling

Character

Wrestling with the World

Spiritual Realm

The Afterlife

Injustice

Discrimination

Mentorship Check-Up

Gender Roles

Society and Government

Sexual Behavior

Exercise: Dream for Each Other

Future Plans

Endings and Beginnings

Recommended Resources

About the Author

Introduction

As a self-employed writer and entrepreneur, almost nothing in my life requires me to wake up before about 9:00 a.m.—except every other Friday, when my alarm starts chirping at 6:15 a.m. And then I groggily drag myself out of bed and pour some coffee down my throat to coax my brain awake. On these mornings, yoga pants and sweatshirts are the norm, makeup is optional, and—yes—I’ve been known to leave wearing slippers, because very few things inspire me to be a morning person, but one thing can—my besties.

Karen, Jordan, and I met in seminary through a (mandatory) spiritual-development small group. We gathered together every week for two years, and over those years, we shared intimate details about our lives and hearts. We worked through many of the same questions that ultimately ended up in this book. In short, we set aside our natural fears of intimacy (yes, we all have them) and risked sharing our true selves.

As I write this, more than four years later, we still meet every other Friday. Even as some of us moved to different parts of the world, we still make time to video chat and share about our lives, our fears, and our big